Multi-media presentations performed with video projection equipment have become very common for business and entertainment purposes. Often, the video projection equipment is a portable LCD projector that is placed on a table, cart, or stand in the room, with the image projected on a portion of the wall or a portable screen. Such impromptu arrangements, however, have a number of drawbacks. First, a considerable amount of time is often needed to position, aim, and focus the projector in advance of the presentation—time that is expended repeatedly whenever a different projector is set up. Further, it is often difficult to position a portable projector where it is not in the way of persons moving about in the room, or in the line of sight for those viewing the presentation. Moreover, the wires and cables used to connect the projector with the computer are in the open at ground level, presenting a tripping hazard and an opportunity for damage to the projector if someone comes in contact with them.
In view of these many drawbacks of portable projectors, mounting devices have been developed to enable mounting of a projection device from the ceiling or wall of a presentation room. Such devices have generally been successful in alleviating some of the problems associated with a projector at ground level having exposed wires. These prior ceiling or wall mounting devices have presented certain drawbacks, however.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,655, a device for mounting a video/data projector from a ceiling or wall is disclosed in which struts are used to form channels for supporting the projector and to conceal cabling. The channels, however, result in a rather bulky device that may be difficult to harmonize with the aesthetic environment of a presentation room. In addition, adjustment of the projector for roll, pitch, and yaw may be time consuming and difficult due to the generally limited adjustment capability of the device. Also, the projector may be vulnerable to theft by anyone with common hand tools and access to the device during unattended hours. Other prior devices such as the low-profile LCD projector mount is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,042,068, offer a relatively more compact mount arrangement, but still offer only a limited range of projector pitch and yaw adjustment, and no roll adjustment at all.
A projector mount is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,156,359 (owned by the owners of the present invention and hereby fully incorporated by reference) which alleviates many of the problems of prior devices. The disclosed mount provides independent projector roll, pitch, and yaw adjustments along with theft deterrence in the form of coded fasteners connecting each separate portion of the mount. Fine adjustment for position may be hampered, however, due to the number of separate fasteners to be loosened and tightened to enable adjustment (six for the pitch and roll adjustments), and by the tendency for the weight of the projector to pull the mount out of adjustment unless the projector is held in the desired position. Also, although the theft resistant security fasteners inhibit theft of the device, convenience of use of the projector device is compromised by the need to remove the security fasteners with a special tool in order to move the projector to a new location.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,497,412, (owned by the owners of the present invention and hereby fully incorporated by reference), a projector mount is disclosed for attaching a projection device to an overhead structure which includes a device interface operably attachable to the projection device with a plurality of fasteners. The device interface has a first portion and a second portion slidably disposed on the first portion. The first and second portions together define a plurality of retaining structures, each retaining structure for receiving a separate one of the plurality of fasteners. The second portion is selectively slidably shiftable relative to the first portion between a first latched position wherein each of the plurality of fasteners is received and retained in a separate one of the retaining structures and a second unlatched position wherein the plurality of fasteners is freely disengagable from the retaining structures.
A need still exists in the industry for a projector mount combining the features of relatively quick and easy precision projector position adjustment in roll, pitch, and yaw, orientations, high security and theft deterrence, and compact size.